


Blood and Wine

by circlique



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Halloween, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Underage Drinking, consenting under influence of alcohol, might feel a little ooc in places because i rarely write outside of nationverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 12:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12582156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circlique/pseuds/circlique
Summary: Sang Kyu has just moved to the east coast from California, leaving behind everything familiar to him. On a cold, October night, he meets his new neighbor--a charming, but mysterious young man who works the night shift at a bar downtown.





	Blood and Wine

The house creaked as a gust of wind swept down the dark, New England street.

Sang Kyu was now far outside his comfort zone. The air outside had grown cold and sharp. Dry, crinkled leaves pattered against the dusty windows. Some of the trees were already bare, standing tall and twisted like blackened skeletons against the pale, clouded sky. Night was falling—far earlier than he was used to—and the house, which he had not yet been able to set up for electricity with the electric company, stood dark and quiet that October evening. It was all a stark contrast from his warm, sunny hometown in the outskirts of Los Angeles.

But—this was home now.

He set his bag down by the door. The moving crew had been by earlier to bring his stuff into the house. Almost all his belongings were still in the boxes he had packed them in, but at least his furniture had been placed in the proper rooms by the movers.

Kneeling next to his bag, he pulled out a box of matches and a few candles he’d bought from the store and set to work lighting and placing them in the darkest corners. He had just finished lighting the last of them when there was a knock at the door.

It seemed unusually late for someone to be knocking at his door, and Sang Kyu really wanted nothing more than to unpack a few boxes and go to bed. Couldn’t whoever was at his door have waited until morning? For a moment, he considered simply ignoring the visitor and pretending he wasn’t home. But, after a moment of hesitation, Sang Kyu went to answer, figuring any idiot could see his car parked on the street outside anyway.

Standing on his doorstep was a handsome young man about Sang Kyu’s age, with bright, golden hair and a charming smile. His eyes were a pale blue, but seemed tired, as if he’d just finished a long day of work. This theory seemed to be supported by the fact that he was dressed sharply in a white, button-down shirt, black slacks, and a bowtie.

Before Sang Kyu could even utter a hello, the stranger was sticking out his hand for a handshake and rambling out an introduction.

“Hey, I’m Alfred!” he said, shaking Sang Kyu’s hesitant hand firmly. “This house has been empty for months, but I saw your car outside and figured someone must have moved in finally, so I came to say hello.”

“Ah…yes,” Sang Kyu answered slowly, thrown off by the almost overbearing friendliness.

“Yeah, sorry I couldn’t come by earlier,” Alfred said, finally letting Sang Kyu have his hand back. “I sleep late because I work nights at this bar downtown. Have you been downtown yet? It’s that dark, old, historical one. You should—”

“No, I haven’t,” Sang Kyu interrupted, trying to sound as polite as possible despite his annoyance. “I’m sorry, it’s a bit late. Perhaps you could tell me more about the town _tomorrow_?”

Alfred seemed a bit surprised by his forwardness about not wanting to have this conversation right now. After a pause, he looked away sheepishly. “Y-yeah. Sorry. I forget that not everyone is a night owl like I am. I’ll let you get some rest. I should head to work anyway.”

“Thank you,” Sang Kyu muttered, a bit more disdainfully than he’d intended. Now sensing Sang Kyu’s annoyance, Alfred was shifting awkwardly in place, his former confidence seemingly swept away. He had that… _look_ in his eyes, like a kicked puppy, and suddenly Sang Kyu felt a bit bad. Alfred was only trying to be nice, after all.

“I’ll…see you tomorrow?” Sang Kyu offered reluctantly, now hoping he hadn’t permanently ruined his relationship with his new neighbor.

The offer seemed to brighten Alfred up.

“Oh, yes!” he replied excitedly. “Maybe…I could come by earlier and help you unpack?”

“I would appreciate that.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Alfred turned to leave, and Sang Kyu had almost closed the door when suddenly, Alfred called back to him.

“Oh, wait! I’m so sorry!” he called from the middle of the street. “What’s your name?”

“Sang Kyu.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Sang Kyu,” Alfred said with a smile. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

* * *

 The next evening, just after sunset, there was a knock at Sang Kyu’s door. As promised, Alfred had come, and he quickly began helping Sang Kyu unpack the boxes scattered around the living room.

Sang Kyu was not really one to start or keep up a conversation, and Alfred, evidently, was not the type to tolerate silence, and so he tried to fill the void himself.

“So, where’d you move here from?” Alfred asked innocently.

“Los Angeles,” Sang Kyu answered simply as he unloaded a box of books and began to place them onto the book shelves built into the north wall.

“Oh, really? What brings you all the way out here?” Alfred pressed as he began pulling pots and pans from one of the boxes.

“School,” Sang Kyu replied. “Computer science.”

“I thought California was the place to be for that?”

“I start an internship here next month. The scholarship offers out here were better anyway. California schools have too many applicants to offer much money to in-state students.”

“Makes sense.”

Alfred continued to question him, so Sang Kyu went on. He told Alfred about how he’d come to rent this run-down house. University housing had already filled up for the fall, and with Sang Kyu’s internship starting the next month, he wouldn’t be able to wait until the spring semester. So, he’d looked into alternatives and come across this house. It was small and rickety, but the rent was cheap, and he preferred to live alone than try to find roommates to share an apartment with anyway.

Alfred asked about his family, and Sang Kyu told him about his brother, Yong Soo, who was majoring in music production at a university back in California. Sang Kyu missed him already, but in a way, he needed this. He’d spent too long living in his brother’s shadow. Yong Soo, who was bright and sociable and not unlike Alfred, made friends effortlessly and navigated social situations with ease. He had no trouble finding dates or getting invited to parties. Everyone knew Yong Soo, but few people knew reserved, distant Sang Kyu as anything but “Yong Soo’s brother.” He needed to make a name for himself, without Yong Soo.

“He thinks he’ll be famous someday,” Sang Kyu said. “Either as a musician or maybe as the producer of a viral music video.”

“But what do you want to do?” Alfred asked. “With computer science, I mean.”

“Cybersecurity, maybe,” Sang Kyu answered, placing the last of the books on the shelf. “Maybe cyber espionage.”

“That sounds badass,” Alfred said with a grin.

Alfred spoke little of his own childhood and ambitions, but did mention that he’d moved to the town from a place out in the country.

“I wanted to be where the people were,” he explained. “It was just so lonely and quiet out there. Nothing but sheep and cows.”

After a few hours of sorting through piles of clothes and kitchenware, Alfred glanced at his watch and gasped.

“Shit, I gotta be at work in twenty minutes,” he said, and stood up quickly. “We made some good progress, but you’ve still got some stuff to unpack, so I’ll come back and help tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

Sang Kyu simply nodded.

“Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

* * *

Alfred came by to help Sang Kyu get settled in every night for the next three days, even though everything had been unpacked the second time Alfred came to help. Alfred insisted on helping Sang Kyu fix the place up a bit. He still didn’t have power, and the nights were growing ever colder. The chilly air seeped in through cracks in the warped boards around the windows, so Alfred came over with a hammer and some nails and helped Sang Kyu patch up the holes.

Their conversations grew easier, and eventually evolved into good-natured banter as they worked on patching up the place. Though Sang Kyu had found Alfred annoying at first, he found he was much more tolerable after Sang Kyu had had a few nights of decent sleep. He still thought Alfred to be a touch arrogant, and so he often bit back at Alfred’s comments with snide remarks of his own. Many of their conversations devolved into debates about politics and the differences between the east and the west coast. But strangely, Sang Kyu found that their disagreements seemed to make him like Alfred even more. He really was charming, in a way, with his sarcastic sense of humor and confident but teasing jabs at Sang Kyu.

On the third night, Alfred arrived at Sang Kyu’s door with a bottle of wine and a small basket filled with cheese, bread, and a couple of wine glasses.

“What?” Sang Kyu asked, with a pout. “Are you taking me on a picnic?”

“No,” Alfred answered, sweeping past Sang Kyu and slipping his shoes off next to the door. “I have tonight off work. I thought we could celebrate your new home.”

“Why do you look like you’re dressed for a date?”

“Because…” Alfred glanced away shyly. “I was hoping I was?”

Sang Kyu felt his heart flutter for a beat. He was only joking…right?

“Anyway, you look like you need to have some fun,” Alfred continued, using his free hand to take Sang Kyu’s and guide him towards the couch. “Your porch light was on, so you have power now, right? How about we watch a movie?”

“How did you get alcohol?” Sang Kyu asked, ignoring Alfred’s suggestion. “You’re not legal.”

“I work at a bar,” Alfred said as they sat down, both of them immediately sinking into the too-soft cushions. “Don’t you think I’d be able to get a cute girl to buy it legally and slip it to me later?”

“No,” Sang Kyu said with a smirk. “You’re not charming enough to pick up a cute girl.”

“No,” Alfred agreed. “Just a cute Korean.”

Sang Kyu felt a rush of blood to his cheeks and quickly looked away. “Stop…”

“Oh, come on,” Alfred said, throwing an arm around Sang Kyu and clicking on the TV with the remote. “I always see you glancing in my direction when you think I’m not looking. You pretend my jokes are awful and then turn around and shake your head and chuckle at them anyway. Oh, and you’re blushing.”

“I’m not!”

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Alfred said, pulling him closer. He’d settled on a channel showing an old vampire movie in black and white. “How’s this?”

“Fine, I suppose,” Sang Kyu muttered, now making a great effort to not look in Alfred’s direction.

Alfred didn’t seem too fussed by Sang Kyu’s objections, and he quickly set to work dividing out the bread and cheese and pouring them both glasses of deep red wine. He handed one to Sang Kyu and held his own out for a toast.

“To your new home!” Alfred beamed, and clinked his glasses against Sang Kyu’s. They both took sips of wine. It was vaguely fruity, but not exactly sweet. It was quickly chased by the sharp bite of alcohol, and Sang Kyu winced.

They spent the next few hours nibbling cheese and bread and sipping wine as the vampire movie played. Curiously, Sang Kyu felt that _he_ was the one doing most of the eating. Although Alfred had divided the food out mostly evenly, it seemed as though he’d barely touched his own half.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Sang Kyu asked, gesturing toward Alfred’s barely touched food.

“I’m uh…just nervous, I guess,” Alfred said, shooting Sang Kyu a bashful look. He sipped some wine distractedly.

“Oh, stop,” Sang Kyu groaned. “What are you nervous about?”

“You know!”

“We’re watching a movie! Were you planning to propose too or something?”

This comment made Alfred’s pale face flush as red as the wine.

“N-no,” Alfred stammered. “It’s just…I always scare people away.”

“Oh, please,” Sang Kyu sighed. “You must pick up tons of girls at that bar you work at.”

“No,” Alfred insisted. “When they find out what I’m really like—”

“Alfred—”

“I scare them away!”

“Alfred, you managed to charm your way back in here after the first night!”

“And I really do like you and I just—”

Ugh, there it was—that stupid, woeful, kicked puppy look. All this self-deprecation from someone who was obviously attractive and charismatic and ways that Sang Kyu could never hope to be. He couldn’t stand it. It pissed him off that _Alfred,_ of all people, kept insisting he couldn’t be liked or that no one would ever stay with him. He had to shut him up before he ended up whining about it all night.

With a swift tug, Sang Kyu grabbed Alfred by the front of his collar and pulled him forward until their lips pressed together. The kiss was soft and warm, and Sang Kyu felt the heat spread from his cheeks to his ears and down his neck and shoulders. After a few seconds, he let go of Alfred’s collar and let him pull back.

Alfred looked stunned, thrilled, and afraid, all at the same time, but something else was…off. His eyes seemed even more tired than usual, the dark crescents standing out even more starkly against the pale skin. Most strangely, his light blue eyes—

“—I just don’t want to scare you away too,” Alfred whispered, looking like he might cry.

His eyes had turned a deep, bloody crimson.

Sang Kyu was only able to look for a second before Alfred leaned in to kiss him again. This time Alfred parted his lips, and in the warm moistness, Sang Kyu felt his tongue graze across something as sharp as a needle. When Alfred pulled away and Sang Kyu could see his face again, he got a clear look at both the red eyes and the pointed fangs.

It made sense. An attractive, friendly young man with an unknown childhood and inexplicably few friends, who only worked nights and couldn’t quite stomach bread and cheese—

“You’re—”

“A monster, right?”

“No, you’re a fucking liar.”

That didn’t seem to help. Alfred’s scarlet eyes stared at the floor. “I know. But I couldn’t tell you.”

“No,” Sang Kyu objected. “You’re a liar because you keep going on about how no one could ever like you. _I_ like you.”

Alfred didn’t look up or answer, so Sang Kyu sighed and pulled him into his arms. He understood, in a way. Sang Kyu had spent years lonely as people gravitated toward his cheerier, more personable brother. Any friends they could have shared were put off by his cold demeanor. Alfred was forced to live a life he didn’t seem to want. He had no friends because as soon as he was exposed for what he was, people were afraid of him. This house had probably been empty because of the rumors about a vampire living across the street. So, when an introvert with no friends had finally moved in to the house, Alfred had thought, perhaps, he could finally make a friend with someone who was as lonely as he was.

After a few minutes of silence, Sang Kyu pointed at Alfred’s untouched bread and cheese. “You can’t eat that, can you?”

Alfred shook his head.

“Then—do you want to…?”

“May I?”

“What are you going to do otherwise? Go suck blood from the drunks behind your bar?”

Alfred shifted uncomfortably, and Sang Kyu got the sense that this is exactly what he would have done. Had that been the purpose of the alcohol, then? To get Sang Kyu drunk enough that he’d pass out and not remember Alfred biting him? A plan only ruined by Sang Kyu drinking too slowly and still being sober enough to ask questions?

When Alfred didn’t answer, Sang Kyu pulled back the collar of his shirt and guided Alfred closer with his hand. “Just don’t take too much.”

“Thank you,” Alfred smiled, scooting closer so that he could sit behind Sang Kyu.

Hot breath puffed against Sang Kyu’s bare skin, but Alfred didn’t bite right away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Sang Kyu as if to hug him from behind, and pressed soft lips to the side of his neck in a gentle kiss. Sang Kyu shivered at the touch. Cold fingers wrapped gently around his neck and jaw to guide his head into a position that exposed the side of his neck.

“It’ll hurt a little,” Alfred said, muttering the words against the skin in the spot Sang Kyu thought he must intend to bite. Sang Kyu nodded in response, and a second later, there were two sharp pricks of pain halfway between his ear and his shoulder, followed by a rush of heat that Sang Kyu knew must be blood.

After the fangs were withdrawn, Alfred lips and tongue worked against the skin, encouraging the blood to keep flowing. Sang Kyu let his eyes drift shut. After the initial pain faded, it was almost relaxing, like Alfred was kissing his neck passionately. The fingers kept their place on his throat, adjusting occasionally as Alfred lapped the blood from the two tiny wounds.

When he was done, Alfred reached into the basket to retrieve the cloth he had wrapped the wine bottle in and pressed it against Sang Kyu’s neck. The very fact that Alfred had brought a cloth, in Sang Kyu’s mind, solidified his theory that Alfred had meant to suck his blood from the beginning.

“Hold it there,” Alfred said, turning away to wipe a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. When he was done, he turned back. “How do you feel?”

“A little tired,” Sang Kyu said, wincing. He’d pressed the towel in a bit too hard, and the area was going to be sore, he could tell.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

The movie had since ended, and the TV was now showing a commercial for Halloween candy. Neither of them said anything. Sang Kyu wasn’t sure what else to say. The east coast was wild. Cold nights, creepy houses, and vampires for neighbors.

After several minutes of silence, Alfred leaned over to press his lips to Sang Kyu’s again. Though Alfred’s eyes had returned to their icy blue and Sang Kyu’s tongue could no longer find the sharp fangs, he was still met with the telltale tang of blood and wine.

When their lips parted, Alfred pushed aside the towel to make sure the bleeding had stopped, and, satisfied that it had, wrapped his arms around Sang Kyu and pressed himself warmly into his side with a sigh.

“Thanks,” he breathed.

“Don’t mention it,” Sang Kyu answered. “Just don’t dress up so much next time.”


End file.
